A variety of support ships with hoisting apparatuses have been used and proposed. Some of these use no more than a conventional surface vessel provided with a crane. The arrangement is not totally satisfactory since the relative motions between the submersible and the support vessel create excessive acceleration forces during the lifting or lowering of the submersible. These forces batter the submersible and crewmen alike. Another hazard is that the possibility of collision is ever present because one vessel usually is stationary while the other attempts to manuever into a recovery position. Another approach calls for docking the submersible onto a submerged platform or submarine. The trouble here, however, is that the submerged recovery platform is uncontrollable. That is to say, when the submerged recovery platform does not extent through the water-air interface nor does it rest on the bottom, it is extremely unstable. Being neutrally buoyant and at rest, it offers no resistance and does not provide counteracting forces during a launching or recovery. In addition, the submerged platform is tied to this single specific use. The need therefore exists in the state of the art for an apparatus for and a method of safely recovering a submersible by a surface craft that does not endanger equipment and crewmen.